9-1-1 fans are losing patience with Buck, and Oliver Stark’s defence raises questions

Riddhee
ABC
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An important storyline being explored in 9-1-1 Season 10 is Buck trying to parent a four-year-old boy, Theo, after his parents died in a car crash. Theo's parents were Connor Riley and Kameron Riley, who were close friends of Buck. Buck also happens to be Theo's biological father, as he was Connor's and Kameron's sperm donor because Connor was infertile.

Fans of 9-1-1 are now losing their patience with Buck because of the way he is letting Theo get away with all his erratic behavior instead of disciplining him. Moreover, Oliver Stark, who plays the character, has defended his character's behavior, which also raises questions.


Why 9-1-1 fans aren't happy with Buck

In 9-1-1 Season 10, Buck has been fostering Theo since he lost his parents in a car crash. However, Buck hasn't been disciplining him or setting any boundaries because he wants to protect Theo from trauma and wants to let him be a kid. This leads to a chaotic home environment and multiple minor accidents/ER visits for Buck.

Moreover, it also leads to an incident during a dinner with Eddie and Christopher where Theo kicks a basketball and accidentally causes Christopher to fall. Eddie tries to gently, and then more firmly, step in to advise Buck that Theo needs discipline and boundaries rather than so much free rein.

Buck takes it as a harsh stance and feels that Eddie is questioning his ability to parent after he spent years helping Eddie raise Christopher. He then does something shocking by asking Eddie to leave. This exchange causes a cold war-like situation between the best friends.

Buck eventually realizes that Theo still sees him as a stranger who carried him away from the fatal crash that killed his parents, rather than a true father. It causes Buck to break down, and he admits to Eddie that he feels like he cannot be a father to Theo.

9-1-1 fans aren't happy with Buck's storyline. They feel that this particular storyline is undoing years of character development Buck has gone through. When he helped Eddie raise Christopher, he showed qualities that one finds in a father and a caregiver. Thus, to the fans, not only did his outburst at Eddie make no sense, but him saying he cannot be Theo's dad seems like a departure from his character.

One fan (@whiteshadows99) on X said:

"I slept it off and I still feel this was so I'm gonna say it. It really saddens me that Buck is staring to be a character that I'm not sympatize with anymore. He used to be a smart guy that sometimes acting stupid, but (most of the time) it was coming from a good place."

Another (@fionaswhvre) replied to another fan's post defending Buck, saying:

"is Buck a baby that Eddie has to screw his head right on every time?"

The fan added that Eddie chose to let it go when Buck attacked him and asked other fans how much further Buck has to go for them to start holding him accountable.

What makes this situation even worse is that Oliver Stark, who plays Buck in 9-1-1, has defended his character. In an interview with US, Oliver Stark defended his character, saying:

"It's important to remember that everything Buck is doing is with the best of intentions... He is making decisions day to day in this new role that he’s found himself in. He is always thinking it is the right decision and, obviously, we’ve seen it’s not always, and he’s struggling with it."

He added:

"As with any new parent, which is the role that he’s now in, you figure it out as you go. No one is immediately good at anything. You have to make some mistakes and you have to learn along the way, and that’s just part of the process that he’s currently in."

Stark also said Buck is in an extremely complicated situation where there's a lot of trauma involved. He added that Buck is likely dealing with some guilt of his own, as well. The actor believes that while Buck may not always make the best decisions, his intentions behind them are ultimately good.

9-1-1 fans, however, don't see things the same way. Thus, Stark's comments raise questions about where Buck's storyline will go and if fans will find it to be a justified route. It is yet to be seen how 9-1-1 resolves the issues Buck is facing and how fans react to each episode until the issues are resolved.


All released episodes of 9-1-1 are streaming on Hulu.


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Edited by Riddhee